Monday January 9, 2023

Today is Monday, January 9 and we are seeking what God has next for us in the new year.

As I approach this quiet time alone with God, I slow my breathing and focus my whole being on His loving presence. I pause to silence the clutter of my rambling thoughts and still the discord of my spirit.

Pause and Pray

Come Holy Lord, reveal whatever You have next for me in this new year. I surrender myself to Your pleasing and perfect will, trusting in the knowledge that You continue to work all things together for good in me. Guide and equip me to fulfill Your desires, purposes and plans. Amen.

In the morning I praise God and rejoice in His loving presence with the words of Psalm 16.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:8-11

Pause and Pray

As another new year begins, I am already tempted to crowd the empty calendar with my agenda, priorities, activities and plans, before spending time to discern God’s desires for 2023. God has a plan for my future and I can completely trust His will for my life. January is an appropriate season to surrender myself to God. I pause to yield my willful self to the will of my Lord and Savior. In today’s text, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the ancient people of Israel exiled faraway in Babylon. The exiles spent seventy years separated from their homeland, longing to return, and wondering what was next for them. Jeremiah’s words speak to me today as I seek the Lord, long for a fresh start and wonder what God has next for me.

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:10-13

Since the beginning of time, God’s intention and will have been playing out in the landscape of human existence. God has a plan for our world and it is for good. God has a plan for me and it is for good. God knows the plans He has for me and I can trust Him to fulfill all His promises. God’s desire is for me to prosper, thrive and grow – physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and relationally. The knowledge that God has a design for my future gives me hope whatever my current circumstances. As I begin this new year of 2023, I call on God’s name. I begin the year in prayer. On my knees, I seek God with all my heart. I trust that if I seek Him, I will find Him.

Ask: Do I place my complete trust in God’s good plan for what is next in my life? How might I surrender myself to the dreams God has for my future?

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord God, I long to hear your voice. I seek You with all my heart. Come to me and fulfill Your promises revealed in scripture. Bring me close to Your side through the love of Your Son Jesus. Reveal the plans You have for my life and show me the next steps I need to take in order to fulfill Your purposes for me. Teach me to obey Your will, Lord. I surrender my heart to You. I read Jeremiah’s words again and listen for the message you have for me.

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:10-13

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I will not rush through the reading of holy scripture, but slowly meditate on God’s words. Allowing Him to speak through the sacred phrases, I pay close attention to how my soul responds to the power of the Word. I consider how God has guided me in the past and how I have obeyed and disobeyed. I contemplate how God might want to guide me in my current circumstances. I seek God’s guidance for my future. Am I seeking Him with my whole heart or with a divided heart? I do not know what this upcoming year holds for me, but God knows. God knows everything that is in store for me and is already ahead preparing the way. How might God be revealing what is next in my life and fitting me for the journey?

Pause and Pray

Come, Lord Jesus, be my shepherd, guide and friend. Reveal the good path God has for me and caution me to not step to the left or the right, but follow faithfully. Shine a light on the way I should go and equip me for the voyage ahead. Remind me I can completely trust in Your leadership and surrender everything to You. Amen.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3

I leave this time of prayer to faithfully follow Jesus into the good future God has for me. I go to love and serve others in Jesus’ name.

Amen